Method and apparatus for dynamic adjustment of uplink transmission time

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for dynamically adjusting the transmission time interval (TTI) for a communications system are presented. The described aspects provide for dynamically adjusting the TTI in a communication session between a base station or nodeB and a wireless device or user equipment between a shorter TTI, which can provide increased data throughput and lower power consumption, and a longer TTI, which can provide more rugged communication link connections. By dynamically adjusting the TTI, the communications link can be optimized for the given communication channel conditions. Determinations, based on indicia related to the communications system conditions, can be employed in dynamic TTI adjustment. These determinations can be formed centrally at the Radio Network Controller (RNC), at the RNC supplemented with user equipment (UE) available information, or formed in a distributed manner between the RNC and UE across a communications system.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present Application for Patent claims priority to ProvisionalApplication No. 60/913,262, “Method and Apparatus for Dynamic Adjustmentof Uplink Transmission Time” filed Apr. 20, 2007, and assigned to theassignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates generally to communication, and morespecifically to techniques for dynamically adjusting the transmissiontiming interval (TTI) in a communication system.

2. Background

Communication systems are widely deployed to provide variouscommunication services such as voice, packet data, and so on. Thesesystems can be multiple-access systems capable of supportingcommunication with multiple users simultaneously by sharing theavailable system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systemsinclude Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time DivisionMultiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access(FDMA) systems, and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access(OFDMA) systems.

A communication system can employ a transmission time interval (TTI) fortransmission of data between communication system components (e.g.,between user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS or NodeB)). Forexample, a NodeB may transmit one or more data packets to a receiver ina given TTI, wherein the TTI can be based on the transmissionconditions, commonly referred to as the link budget. Generally, the linkbudget refers to the gains and losses in a signal transmitted between atransmitter and a receiver in a communications system and thereforeaccounts for attenuated signals, antenna gains, and other gains andlosses. For example, the received power is equal to the transmittedpower minus losses plus gains for that NodeB. As such, all transmissionswithin a given NodeB can utilize a common TTI. Under current standards,communications systems can select either a 2 millisecond (ms) or 10 msTTI. Conventionally, communications systems select either the 2 ms or 10ms TTI when establishing a communications event (e.g., a voice call,data call, or combinations thereof, . . . ). Further conventionalsystems typically employ the same TTI for all UE-NodeB pairs in a givencommunications region (e.g., a cell).

There is therefore a need in the art to be able to dynamically selectTTI's within an established communication session and further to be ableto individually dynamically select TTI's for a plurality of mobiledevices within a transmission region.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects inorder to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary isnot an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nordelineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The high speed packet access standard allows both 10 millisecond (ms)transmission time interval (TTI) and 2 ms TTI for uplink transmissionoperations. High speed packet access (HSPA) encompasses high speeddownlink packet access (HSDPA) technology and high speed uplink packetaccess (HSUPA) technology and also includes HSPA+ technology. HSDPA,HSUPA and HSPA+ are part of the Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP) specifications Release 5, Release 6, and Release 7, respectively,which specifications are expressly incorporated by reference herein. InHSUPA, the 2 ms TTI can provide lower transmission delays and largerhybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) gains. Moreover, the 2 ms TTI canenable longer battery life in a discontinuous transmission (DTX) modefor mobile device operation. In contrast, the 10 ms TTI can providebetter link budgeting (e.g., more robust transmissions) and thereforecan be preferred for mobile devices located in regions of a cell withpoorer communication linking conditions.

The TTI can be shorter, for example, where transmission conditions aregood, and longer, for example, where transmission conditions are poor.Two common TTI's are 2 ms and 10 ms, where, for example, the 2 ms TTIcan be employed for transmissions in good conditions (e.g., a UE isclose to a BS, there is little interference, . . . ) and, also forexample, the 10 ms TTI can be employed where conditions are less optimal(e.g., a UE is located at the NodeB cell edge, there is substantialinterference, . . . ). The transmitter can, for example, transmit moreinformation over the same total time by selecting the shorter TTI whenthe conditions are germane to the use of the shorter TTI (e.g., therewill be more 2 ms TTI windows than 10 ms TTI windows in a given totaltime window, such as, for example 200 ms). A transmitter can also, forexample, robustly transmit data (e.g., with a better link budget) inless optimal conditions by selecting a longer TTI window.

Conventional communications systems typically do not dynamically selectTTI windows (e.g., conventional systems do not adjust TTI's during anestablished communication session). Further, conventional communicationssystems generally do not designate TTIs for each UE-BS pairing (e.g.,one-to-one, many-to-one, or one-to-many) within a transmission region(e.g., a cell) or for UE-BS pairings transitioning between transmissionregions (e.g., in soft handoff or experiencing soft-handoff conditions).Rather, conventional communications systems generally select a staticTTI when establishing a communication session and maintain that selectedTTI for the duration of the communication session. This can occur whereUE capabilities indicate a preferential TTI. Thus, conventional systemsmay select a static TTI without deference to actual communications linkconditions. Moreover, this static TTI is generally applied to everyUE-BS pairing in a given region (e.g., a cell).

Thus, for example all cell phones in a radio area network (RAN) cellwould be relegated to the same static TTI rate. This can be detrimentalto the overall quality, performance, and efficiency of communicationsover the link(s) during an established communications session. Forexample, where a cell phone call is initiated in good conditions, a 2 msTTI can be selected. As the cell phone user, for example, drives awayfrom the NodeB, the link conditions can worsen, even sufficiently tocause, for example, missed data packets, poor communications quality, ora dropped call, all while continuing to maintain the 2 ms TTI.

As a second example, a cell phone call can be initiated where linkconditions are not optimal and a 10 ms TTI can be selected. Thetransmission conditions over the link can also improve, for example, asweather conditions improve. However, where the TTI in the conventionalsystem has already been selected as 10 ms, the communications link cancontinue to employ the 10 ms TTI, inefficiently in light of the improvedlink conditions that could support, for example, a 2 ms TTI (e.g.,dynamically switching to a 2 ms TTI could provide higher quality andmore efficient communication or data transfer rates).

As a third example, assuming a plurality of cell phones in a radio areanetwork (RAN), where some cell phones are under good conditions andothers are under less optimal conditions, all cell phones in a cell canbe told to use 10 ms TTI rates (e.g., the worst communications conditionis used to set the TTI for all cell phones in the RAN cell). While thiscan provide robust communications for all UEs in the cell, where some ofthe UEs could have used shorter TTI, they are not optimized and areperforming less efficiently than they could with, for example, a 2 msTTI.

In contrast to conventional systems that can assign a selected TTI toall UEs in a cell, the disclosed subject matter facilitates dynamicallyassigning TTI rates to each UE in a cell. By dynamically assigning TTIrates, it is meant that the TTI rate for a communications link can beadjusted within an existing communications event, for example, a cellphone can switch between 2 ms and 10 ms TTIs during a cell phoneconversation to maintain the most optimal performance. This can providefor improved communications throughput where conditions permit and morerugged communications where conditions are less optimal. Further, eachUE in the cell can be assigned the most appropriate TTI for that UE'sspecific conditions. Under current HSPA standards, 2 ms and 10 ms TTIsare contemplated and thus, for ease of understanding and clarity, onlythese two TTI windows will be used for examples within the disclosure.One of skill in the art will appreciate that the disclosed subjectmatter is not so limited and that any TTI window can be employed. Thus,where standards change and/or the use of alternate TTI windows isdesirable, these TTI windows are to be considered within the scope andspirit of the herein disclosed subject matter. Any specific exampleemploying 2 ms and/or 10 ms TTIs is not intended to be limiting and isdisclosed only as an example within the current standards.

In one specific embodiment, a radio network controller (RNC) dynamicallyselects the TTI to be employed for communication with UEs. Selectioncriteria used by the RNC can include, but are not limited to, the signalto noise ratio of the pilot signal (Ecp/Nt) and/or the packet error rate(PER) of one or more UEs. Thus, for example, where the RNC determinesthat a UE is currently using a first TTI and the Ecp/Nt has passed apredetermined threshold and/or the PER, over a certain time interval,has transitioned a predetermined limit, then the RNC can facilitatedynamic reconfiguration of the UE to use an alternate TTI that canfacilitate a more optimal communications link.

In a second specific embodiment a UE employing a first TTI can indicatecommunications link indicia (for example, the available transmission(TX) power headroom) to a NodeB (for example, by way of a schedulinginformation (SI) transmission). The NodeB can relay this information toa RNC to facilitate a RNC determination that the communications link issub-optimal, for example, that the UE can be TX power headroom limited.Where non-optimal communications conditions exist (e.g., the ULE haslimited TX power headroom), the RNC can facilitate dynamicreconfiguration of the UE to use an alternate TTI that can facilitate amore optimal communications link.

In a third specific embodiment, a UE employing a first TTI can monitorcommunications link indicia. These communications link indicia caninclude, but are not limited to, power headroom limitations, change inTX power headroom over time (e.g., slope), and/or HARQ early terminationstatistics. The UE can communicate a UE request that the RNC dynamicallyreconfigure the UE to use an alternate TTI that can facilitate a moreoptimal communications link. As a non-limiting example, if the availableTX power headroom goes below a predetermined threshold, the UE canrequest to be switched to a 10 ms TTI via a layer 3 message to the RNC.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative featuresof the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, ofbut a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspectsmay be employed, and this description is intended to include all suchaspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of one aspect of a computerdevice implementation of one or more of the components of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate schematic diagrams of functional modules inaccordance with aspects of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 illustrates a timing diagram for HSUPA compliant multi-codetransmission in accordance with an aspect of the disclosed subjectmatter.

FIG. 5 illustrates a timing diagram for dynamic adjustment of TTI inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 illustrates comparative timing diagrams for dynamic TTIadjustment in accordance with aspects of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7 illustrates a depiction of elements in a communications system inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 8 illustrates a comparative depiction of non-limiting exemplarydynamic TTI adjustment techniques in accordance with an aspect of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method to facilitate dynamic adjustment of TTI inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method to facilitate dynamic adjustment of TTI inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method to facilitate dynamic adjustment of TTI inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method to facilitate dynamic adjustment of TTI inaccordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofone or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) maybe practiced without these specific details.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system”and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such asbut not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application runningon a computing device and the computing device can be a component. Oneor more components can reside within a process and/or thread ofexecution and a component may be localized on one computer and/ordistributed between two or more computers. In addition, these componentscan execute from various computer readable media having various datastructures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way oflocal and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal havingone or more data packets, such as data from one component interactingwith another component in a local system, distributed system, and/oracross a network such as the Internet with other systems by way of thesignal.

Furthermore, various aspects are described herein in connection with aterminal, which can be a wired terminal or a wireless terminal. Aterminal can also be called a system, device, subscriber unit,subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, mobile device, remotestation, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal,communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). Awireless terminal may be a cellular telephone, a satellite phone, acordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, awireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), ahandheld device having wireless connection capability, a computingdevice, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.Moreover, various aspects are described herein in connection with a basestation. A base station may be utilized for communicating with wirelessterminal(s) and may also be referred to as an access point, a NodeB, orsome other terminology.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication systems such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), TimeDivision Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access(FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), SingleCarrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA or SCFDMA) and othersystems. The terms “system” and “network” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Code Division Multiple Access2000 (CDMA2000 or cdma2000®), etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA)and other variants of CDMA. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856standards. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement aradio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband(UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20 (MobileBroadband Wireless Access (MBWA)), Fast Low-latency Access with SeamlessHandoff Orthogonal Multiplexing (FOFDM or Flash-OFDM®), etc. UTRA andE-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) is anupcoming release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employs OFDMA on thedownlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM aredescribed in documents from an organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2”(3GPP2).

Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean anyof the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs Aor B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and“an” as used in this application and the appended claims shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Turning to FIG. 1, illustrated is a wireless communication system 100with a number of base stations 110 that support communication for anumber of wireless terminals 120. A base station is a fixed station usedfor communicating with the terminals and can also be called an accesspoint, a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, or some otherterminology. A terminal may be fixed or mobile and may also be called amobile station (MS), a mobile equipment (ME), a user equipment (UE), awireless device, a subscriber unit, or some other terminology. Theterminals may be dispersed throughout the system. Each base station maycommunicate with any number of terminals at any given moment dependingon various factors such as, for example, the number of terminals withinthe coverage (e.g., cell) of the base station, the available systemresources, the data requirements of the terminals, and so on. A systemcontroller 130 provides coordination and control for the base stations.The system controller may comprise a radio network controller (RNC) (notillustrated). Transmission protocols between the terminals and basestation can include TTI widows as part of the protocol, for example, asdescribed in the 3GPP specification releases 5, 6 and/or 7, among otherspecifications.

Typically, the 3GPP release 6 (and release 7) standard allows 10 mstransmission time interval (TTI) or 2 ms TTI for uplink operation, asherein described. Generally, the 2 ms TTI provides lower transmissiondelay, larger HARQ gain, longer UE battery life, or combinationsthereof. Further, as disclosed herein, the 10 ms TTI can provide morerobust communications over, for example, less optimal communicationslinks and may therefore be preferred for UEs at a cell edge,experiencing soft-handoff conditions, or in soft handoff.

Specifically, the 3GPP release 6 (HSUPA) standard designates an enhanceduplink dedicated channel (EDCH), one or more EDCH dedicated physicalchannels (EDPDCH) (up to 4 EDPDCH channels currently allowed), and anEDCH dedicated physical control channel (EDPCCH), each of which cancommunicate information within a single TTI, wherein the TTI can be 2 msor 10 ms in HSUPA. The EDCH carries a single transport block per TTI.The EDCH is mapped to the one or more (up to 4) EDPDCH. The EDPDCHuplink channels can include a header, a payload, and schedulinginformation with the TTI. The EDCH is associated with the EDPCCH. TheEDPCCH uplink channel can include control information (e.g., a sequenceidentification number and an indicator of the transport format) and aresource status indicator (e.g., indicates to the NodeB that the UEgranted data rate is, or is not, satisfactory). The EDCH can includedata in a single transport block set (TBS). Employing these uplinkchannels (among others), data can be uploaded from the UE to the NodeBin either 2 ms or 10 ms TTIs in compliance with the 3GPP specification(e.g., release 6 and/or 7).

Conventional HSUPA (and HSUPA+) networks typically employ either the msTTI or 2 ms TTI for a communication link with the UE. The TTI isassigned to UEs by way of a reconfiguration message sent to the UE froma RNC. The RNC can assign a TTI for all UEs in a cell. For example, inlarge cells which can have link budget problems with a 2 ms TTI, a 10 msTTI can be assigned to all UE in the cell, which can improve cellperformance but also can reduce transmission capacity and battery life.In any given period of time, more short TTI windows can occur than longTTI windows. Thus, short TTIs (e.g., 2 ms TTIs) generally can beemployed to carry information more efficiently by sending theinformation in more individual transport block sets (TBS) per given timeperiod, for example five 2 ms TTI can be sent in the same time as one 10ms TTI. Generally it can be preferential to employ shorter TTI (e.g., 2ms TTI), where germane to the communications system, over longer TTI(e.g., 10 ms TTI) because of the possibility of improved performance(e.g., transmitting more information in less total time). However, wherethe communications system cannot support the shorter TTI because ofsystem conditions, (e.g., Ecp/Nt ratio cannot be increased due tolimited TX power headspace, the packet error rate (PER) is excessivelyhigh for the shorter TTI, . . . ) the longer TTI (e.g., 10 ms TTI) canbe preferential.

Referring to FIG. 2, the components of system 100 (FIG. 1) may beembodied in a computer device 200 that includes a memory 210 incommunication with a processor 220. Memory 210 is operable for storingapplications for execution by processor 220. Memory 210 can includerandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and a combinationthereof. In particular, each component of system 100 (FIG. 1) mayinclude one or more functional modules, applications, or programs 230operable to perform the component-specific actions described herein.Further, processor 220 is operable for carrying out processing functionsassociated with one or more of the components described herein.Processor 220 can include a single processor or multiple sets ofprocessors or multi-core processors. Moreover, processor 220 can beimplemented as an integrated processing system and/or a distributedprocessing system.

Additionally, computer device 200 includes user interface 240 operableto receive inputs from a user of a UE 120, and to generate outputs forpresentation to the user. User interface 240 can include one or moreinput devices, including but not limited to a keyboard, a number pad, amouse, a touch-sensitive display, a navigation key, a function key, amicrophone, a voice recognition component, any other mechanism capableof receiving an input from a user, or any combination thereof. Further,user interface 240 can include one or more output devices, including butnot limited to a display, a speaker, a haptic feedback mechanism, aprinter, any other mechanism capable of presenting an output to a user,or any combination thereof.

Further, computer device 200 includes a communications component 250that provides for establishing and maintaining communications with oneor more other components utilizing hardware, software, and services.Communications component 250 can carry communications between componentson computer device 200, as well as between computer device 200 andexternal devices, such as access point system controller 130 or NodeB110 (FIG. 1), other network-side or infrastructure elements, or otherdevices serially or locally connected to computer device 200.Communications component 250 includes a receiver to receivecommunications and a transmitter to transmit communications. Further,communications component 250 includes the corresponding receive chaincomponents and transmit chain components to enable exchanging messagesaccording to one or more respective protocols.

Additionally, computer device 200 can further include database 260,which can be any suitable combination of hardware and/or software, thatprovides for mass storage of data/information, data relationships, andsoftware programs/applications employed in connection with aspectsdescribed herein when not in use in active memory 210. Additionally,database 260 can store one or more functionalmodules/programs/applications 230 when the respective applications arenot in active memory 210.

Referring to FIG. 3, illustrated are schematic diagrams of functionalmodules in accordance with aspects of the disclosed subject matter.Specifically with regard to FIG. 3A, depicted is a schematic diagram ofa functional module in one embodiment of a dynamic TTI adjustmentcommunications system in accordance with aspects of the disclosedsubject matter. In an embodiment, the TTI determination component 300can be located in an RNC (e.g., in the system controller 130 (see FIG.1), or in the RNC of FIGS. 7 and 8). In alternative embodiments, the TTIdetermination component 300 can be located in a NodeB, in other portionsof a system controller (e.g., 130 of FIG. 1), or in similar computerimplemented portion of a communications system germane to determining anoptimal TTI and communicating an instruction to the UE to dynamicallyadjust the TTI window. The TTI determination component 300 can be asingle component or can be formed in a distributed manner. Further, thecomponents of the TTI determination component 300 can be embodied inshared components, for example, the communication module 250 (see FIG.2) can function as the I/O component 315 of TTI determination component300. Further, TTI determination component 300 can include acommunications condition analyzer component 305 that can analyze thecommunications condition (e.g., the link budget) of a communicationslink between, for example, a UE and a NodeB. The analysis can be basedon indicia of communications link conditions including, among others,the Packet Error Rate (PER), transmission (TX) power level, and/or thePilot channel signal to noise ratio (Ecp/Nt).

The communications condition analyzer component 305 can becommunicatively coupled to a TTI selection logic component 310. The TTIselection logic component 310 can determine a most optimal TTI windowfor the communications link between, for example, the UE and NodeB. Thedetermination can be based, at least in part, on the analysis of thecommunications condition from component 310. Further, the determinationcan be based on additional factors including, for example, businessgoals, inferences about future communications system conditions (e.g.,determined by an artificial intelligence component (not illustrated)),or a predetermined logic pattern, among other factors related toimproving communications system performance by selecting an appropriateTTI.

TTI Determination component 300 can further include an input/output(I/O) component 315. The I/O component 315 can be employed to receiveinformation into, or send information from, the TTI determinationcomponent 300. For example, the I/O component 315 can receive indiciarelated to the communications condition for analysis in thecommunications condition analyzer component 305. Similarly, for example,the I/O component 315 can communicate the selected TTI from TTIselection logic component 310 to, for example a transmitter (notillustrated) to be sent to a UE.

Turning to FIG. 3B, depicted is a schematic diagram of a functionalmodule in one embodiment of a dynamic TTI adjustment communicationssystem in accordance with aspects of the disclosed subject matter. In anembodiment, the TTI determination component 330 can be located in an RNC(e.g., in the system controller 130 (see FIG. 1), or in the RNC of FIGS.7 and 8). In alternative embodiments, the TTI determination component300 can be located in a NodeB, in other portions of a system controller(e.g., 130 of FIG. 1), or in similar computer implemented portion of acommunications system germane to determining an optimal TTI andcommunicating an instruction to the UE to dynamically adjust the TTIwindow. The TTI determination component 300 can be a single component orcan be formed in a distributed manner. Further, the components of theTTI determination component 300 can be embodied in shared components,for example, the communication module 250 (see FIG. 2) can function asthe I/O component 315 of TTI determination component 300. TTIdetermination component 330 can include a communications condition inputcomponent 335 that can receive indicia related to an external analysisof a communications condition (e.g., the link budget) of acommunications link between, for example, a UE and a NodeB. The externalanalysis can be based on indicia of communications link conditionsincluding, among others, the Packet Error Rate (PER), TX power level, UETX power headroom and/or the Pilot channel signal to noise ratio(Ecp/Nt). By receiving an externally analyzed communications condition,this information can be directly acted upon with or without furtherprocessing.

The communications condition input component 335 can be communicativelycoupled to a TTI selection logic component 340. TTI selection logiccomponent 340 can be the same as, or similar to, TTI selection logiccomponent 310. The TTI selection logic component 340 can determine amost optimal TTI window for the communications link between, forexample, the UE and NodeB. The determination can be based, at least inpart, on the analysis of the communications condition from component340. Further, the determination can be based on additional factorsincluding, for example, business goals, inferences about futurecommunications system conditions (e.g., determined by an artificialintelligence component (not illustrated)), or a predetermined logicpattern, among other factors related to improving communications systemperformance by selecting an appropriate TTI.

TTI Determination component 330 can further include an input/output(I/O) component 345. The I/O component 345 can be employed to receiveinformation into, or send information from, the TTI determinationcomponent 330. For example, the I/O component 345 can receive externallyanalyzed communications condition information and pass this to thecommunications condition input component 335. Similarly, for example,the I/O component 345 can communicate the selected TTI from TTIselection logic component 340 to, for example a transmitter (notillustrated) to be sent to a UE.

Turning to FIG. 3C, depicted is a schematic diagram of a functionalmodule in one embodiment of a dynamic TTI adjustment communicationssystem in accordance with aspects of the disclosed subject matter. In anembodiment, the UE based TTI request component 360 can be located in aUE (e.g., in a UE 120 (see FIG. 1), in a cell phone, a PDA, a laptopcomputer, or other UE as herein described). In alternative embodiments,the UE based TTI request component 360 can be located in a NodeB. The UEbased TTI request component 360 can be a single component or can beformed in a distributed manner, for example between the UE and a NodeB.Further, the components of the UE based TTI request component 360 can beembodied in shared components, for example, the transmitter/receiver ofa UE 120 (see FIG. 1) can function as the local TTI request generatorcomponent 375 of the UE based TTI request component 360.

The UE based TTI request component 360 can include a communicationscondition analyzer component 365 that can be the same as, or similar to,communications condition analyzer component 305. The communicationscondition analyzer component 365 can analyze the communicationscondition (e.g., the link budget) of a communications link between, forexample, a UE and a NodeB, based at least in part on communicationsindicia that can be monitored by a UE. The analysis can be based onindicia of communications link conditions including, among others, theTX power headroom, the rate of change over time of the TX powerheadroom, actual TX power level, and/or the Pilot channel signal tonoise ratio (Ecp/Nt).

The communications condition analyzer component 365 can becommunicatively coupled to a local TTI selection logic component 370.Local TTI selection logic component 370 can determine a most optimal TTIwindow for the communications link between, for example, the UE andNodeB. This determination can be based, at least in part, on theanalysis of the communications condition from component 365. Thus, thelocal TTI determination is in general based on an analysis of thecommunication condition from the UE perspective.

UE based TTI request component 360 can further include a local TTIrequest generator component 375 (which can be similar to I/O component315). The local TTI request generator component 375 can be employed toreceive information into, or send information from, the UE based TTIrequest component 360. For example, the local TTI request generatorcomponent 375 can receive communications condition information availableto the UE and pass this to the communications condition analyzercomponent 365. Similarly, for example, the local TTI request generatorcomponent 375 can communicate the selected local TTI from local TTIselection logic component 370 to, for example a transmitter (notillustrated) to be sent to the RNC.

The local TTI request generator component 375 also specifically can beemployed to generate a TTI request that can be communicated to the RNC.The TTI request can be based at least in part on the local TTI selectionlogic component 370 determination. Thus, where the local communicationsconditions (e.g., the link budget indicia perceivable by the UE) areanalyzed, a local TTI determination based at least in part thereon canbe formed. This local TTI determination can then be employed in forminga TTI request that can be sent to, for example, the RNC. The RNC canthen make further determinations (not illustrated) relating tofulfilling the local TTI request and can, based on these additionaldeterminations (not illustrated) send instructions to the UE to adjustthe TTI based at least in part on the local TTI request.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is a timing diagram 400 for HSUPAtransmissions. Information can be transmitted within each TTI 410. Asdiscussed herein, the EDCH 410 can be extended by mapping onto as manyas four EDPDCH 420 under current 3GPP specifications (rel. 6). In thisexample (e.g., in accord with rel. 6 of the 3GPP specification), the TTIcan be 2 ms or 10 ms. The 3GPP specification typically can facilitatedata rates of several Mbit/s over HSPA (e.g., 3GPP rel. 6) by increasingcapacity of existing mobile radio networks. This can be particularlyuseful for systems requiring high data throughput, for example, voiceover internet protocol (VoIP), video conferencing, and mobile officeapplications. Further improvements are possible under HSPA+ (e.g., 3GPPrel. 7).

In contrast to conventional systems where a static TTI is assigned for acommunications session with a UE, in accordance with the disclosedsubject matter, a TTI can be dynamically assigned to each UE within acommunications system depending on the communication conditions specificto the respective UE. Thus, where communications systems conditionschange, the TTI can be changed within the continuing communicationssession events. For example, a determination can be made based in parton a UE's link budget requirements that a transition from a first TTI toa second TTI can facilitate improved communications system performance.The disclosed subject matter is not limited to selecting between aspecific set of TTIs, however, for simplicity and ease of understandingunder current communications system industry specifications, theexamples and discussion herein are generally described with respect toexamples of 2 ms and 10 ms TTIs. It is noted, however, that othertemporal windows for TTIs can be employed where they conform to industryor application standards, and that all such TTIs are considered withinthe scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a diagram 500 for dynamic adjustment of TTIs inaccordance with the disclosed subject matter is illustrated. A plot of adetermining factor (DF) against time is given illustrating a thresholdlevel (Threshold 502) and a determining factor level (DF Level 504)changing with time. Where a communications system can be employing 2 msTTIs for communicating data at 510, this can continue until the DF Level504 exceeds the threshold level 502 at 520. Where the DF Level 504exceeds the Threshold 502 at 520, the communications system (e.g., theRNC) can dynamically adjust the TTI from a 2 ms TTI at 530 to a 10 msTTI at 540 to facilitate continued communications over the establishedcommunications link. For example, a reconfiguration message from the RNCcan be transmitted to the UE to instruct the UE to employ the new TTI.Similarly, where the DF Level 504 drops below the Threshold 502 at 550,the communications system can dynamically adjust the TTI from a 10 msTTI at 560 to a 2 ms TTI at 570 to facilitate continued communicationsover the established communications link. As stated herein, thedisclosed subject matter is not limited to 2 ms and/or 10 ms TTIs andthese specific TTI windows are used only as non-limiting examplesbecause they comply with current industry standards (e.g., 3GPP rel. 6and 7). Where other TTI windows comport with relevant industry orapplications standards, these TTI windows are to be considered withinthe scope of the disclosed subject matter.

As an example based on the transitions illustrated in FIG. 5 (andrelevant under current standards as herein disclosed), where a cellphone call begins near a NodeB, the transmission conditions can besufficiently good (e.g., the conditions are able to sustain acommunications link at a predetermined HARQ residual error rate, packeterror rate (for example, 0% to 2%, among others), TX power headroom, . .. , or combinations thereof). This will prove very valuable inovercoming possible USPTO Examiner rejections against prior art that maybe raised.] to support a 2 ms TTI (e.g., 510) which can be preferredover a longer TTI (for example, the 2 ms TTI can be more efficient thanthe 10 ms TTI because of higher information throughput, . . . ). Then,as the phone call continues, the cell phone user can enter an elevatorwhere the communications conditions are impaired (e.g., DF Level 504exceeds Threshold 502 at 520). Where the communications system was using2 ms TTI windows for data transmission (e.g., 530), the RNC candesignate that a 10 ms TTI should be used to maintain the telephone call(e.g., RNC can instruct a transition from 2 ms TTI 530 to 10 ms TTI540). The longer TTI can be used while the cell phone call continues inthe elevator by employing conventional cell phone methods to maintainthe best connection with 10 ms TTI windows (e.g., increasing TX powerlevels to maintain the link where there is interference caused by theelevator shaft, . . . ). While using the longer TTI, the transmissionscan be, for example, less efficient (e.g., more power used with higherTX power levels, less information transfer over a given total timeinterval, . . . ), but this can be preferable to, for example, not beingable to close the communications link. The cell phone user can thenleave the elevator upon reaching their desired floor, at which time theDF Level 504 can decrease to below the Threshold 502 level (e.g., at550). In response, the RNC can designate that the efficiency of thecommunication link can be improved by again transitioning the TTI (e.g.,more information transferred in a given total time window, . . . ), thistime from a 10 ms TTI (e.g., 560) to a 2 ms TTI (e.g., 570). It is to beappreciated that the disclosed subject matter can facilitate dynamicallyadjusting between at least two TTIs based at least in part on thecommunications condition (e.g., link budget) of the respective UE-NodeBpairs.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in another aspect, where a plurality of UEs arepresent within a communication system 600, each UE can be instructed bythe RNC to employ an appropriate TTI for each of the respectivecommunications links. In contrast to conventional systems where a singleTTI is generally assigned to all UEs in a cell, based upon the worstcommunications link conditions, the disclosed subject matter facilitatesdynamic TTI transitioning over time for each individual UE in the cell.Thus, a first UE 610 can employ a 10 ms TTI and, over time, transitionto a 2 ms TTI based on changing communications conditions specific tofirst UE 610, while a second UE 620 employs only a 10 ms TTI, a third UE630 employs only a 2 ms TTI, and a fourth UE 640 employs a 10 ms TTI andtransitions to a 2 ms TTI then to a 10 ms TTI and back to a 2 ms TTI.Thus, dynamic adjustment of the TTI can facilitate more optimal andefficient communications systems as compared to relegating all UEs in acell to the “lowest common denominator” TTI.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter, dynamicadjustment of TTIs can be determined based at least in part on adetermining factor (DF) transitioning a threshold level (e.g., 504), asherein disclosed. The DF can be a single indicium, a combination ofdifferent indicia, or an inference based at least in part on anindicium. The indicium or indicia are typically related to thecommunications link conditions, such that the dynamic adjustment of theTTI can facilitate more optimum data communications between a BS and aUE. Thus, while good communication link conditions can allow use of botha 2 ms and 10 ms TTI, the more optimal TTI of the communication link canbe the 2 ms TTI where this facilitates faster communication of databetween the UE and the BS. However, other factors or indicia can beincluded in a determination for dynamically adjusting the TTI. Forexample, where the link conditions are good and both a 2 ms and 10 msTTI can be employed, the ms TTI can be selected where the datatransmission rate is sufficiently low so as not to need the 2 ms TTI.

Similarly, where the link conditions are good enough to support both the2 ms and 10 ms TTI, the 10 ms TTI can be selected because it isdetermined that the UE is in soft handoff to another BS where the 10 msTTI is preferable, or because it is determined that the UE isexperiencing soft-handoff conditions wherein the 10 ms TTI would providea better communication link. In a specific example, the packet errorrate (PER) can be employed as a DF such that, for example, as the PERexceeds 1% the RNC can dynamically transition to the 10 ms TTI tofacilitate maintaining the communications link without excessive packeterrors. As a second specific example, the Pilot channel signal to noiseratio (Ecp/Nt) can be employed as a DF such that, for example, where theEcp/Nt has reached a threshold through being increased to compensate forincreasing error rates, the RNC can dynamically adjust to a 10 ms TTI toallow a lower Ecp/Nt to be employed (e.g., a TX power headroom limitedstate can be an indicator of a need to dynamically transition betweenTTIs). Similarly, where PER and/or Ecp/Nt are used as indicia, they canalso indicate that a transition to a shorter TTI is appropriate, forexample, where the PER is below a threshold (for example below 1%), theRNC can initiate a dynamic transition to a 2 ms TTI to facilitate moreefficient data transmissions across the communications link. Where thecommunication condition (e.g., link budget) can be affected by a nearlylimitless number of factors, a similarly large number of other indiciarelated to the link budget can be employed to facilitate determiningwhen to dynamically adjust the TTI, and all such communication conditionindicia (e.g., link budget indicia) are considered within the scope ofthe disclosed subject matter.

Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is a diagram of a system 700facilitating dynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with an aspect ofthe disclosed subject matter. System 700 can comprise multiple basestations (NodeB). Each NodeB can be communicatively coupled to an RNC(in FIG. 7 the two NodeB are connected to a single RNC for simplicity ofillustration, however the disclosed subject matter is not so limited).The RNC can dynamically adjust the TTI of each UE in system 700independently. For example, cell phone 710 can be instructed to employ a2 ms TTI when it is located near a NodeB and has good communicationslink conditions. Further, for example, cell phone 720 can be instructedto employ a 10 ms TTI because it can have poor communications linkconditions due to being located near to the cell edge. Moreover, PDA 730can be directed to transition from a 2 ms TTI to a 10 ms TTI as the PDA730 approaches the cell edge, or when PDA 730 experiences soft-handoffconditions or is in a soft-handoff. As such, depending on thecommunications conditions experienced by PDA, the RNC can instruct thePDA 703 to dynamically adjust its TTI to maintain a satisfactory closedlink. As discussed at length herein, the disclosed subject matter is notlimited to TTIs of 2 ms and 10 ms, but rather can employ TTIs of anyduration where germane to the communications system.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated are diagrams of systems 800, 820,850 to facilitate dynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with aspectsof the disclosed subject matter. System 800 can comprise one or more UEs802, one or more NodeBs 804, and one or more RNCs 806. The UEs 802 canbe communicatively coupled to the NodeBs 804 by a wireless connection.Information can be communicated from the UEs 802 to the RNCs 806 by wayof the NodeBs 804. In one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter,this information can include both communication information/data (e.g.,an information payload, VoIP packets, voice information, applicationdata, . . . ) and communication link information (e.g., Ecp/Nt, PER,quality of service data, . . . ).

The RNCs 806 can monitor 810 the information communicated to it by wayof the NodeBs 804. Monitoring by the RNCs 806 can be done in acontinuous, synchronous, or asynchronous manner. Where the monitoring isdone in a continuous manner, the monitored information can becontinually updated to facilitate forming a determination 810 related toindicia relating to dynamically adjusting TTI. Similarly, in synchronousmonitoring 810, the indicia can be monitored on a predetermined regularschedule such that the monitored information is updated at regularintervals to facilitate forming a determination 810 related to indiciarelating to dynamically adjusting TTI. Additionally, asynchronousmonitoring 810 can be employed to update monitoring information atirregular intervals, such as, but not limited to, when a call isinitiated, when a soft handoff occurs, when a particular level of datathroughput occurs, when total traffic through the RNC 806 from multipleUEs 802 occurs, during specific periods of the day (e.g., high callvolume periods, . . . ), or combinations thereof among others.

The indicia monitored at 810 can be employed in determining when dynamicadjustment of TTI is appropriate. Generally speaking, system 800 employsthe RNC 806 to monitor and determine 810 when a dynamic adjustment ofTTI should occur without placing substantial additional burden on eitherthe NodeB 804 or the UEs 802 in the system 800. Where a determination ismade at 810 that a dynamic TTI adjustment is appropriate, the RNC 806can initiate the dynamic TTI adjustment by instructing the UE 802 tochange from a first TTI to a second TTI.

System 800 further supports assigning a TTI to each UE 802 depending oncommunications link conditions. Thus, system 800 can monitor indicia anddetermine 810 employing an initial TTI (e.g., when a communication linkis formed, the RNC 806 of system 800 can instruct UE 802 to begin withthe most appropriate TTI, such as a 2 ms TTI or a 10 ms TTI). Forexample, the link budget requirements of each UE 802 in system 800 canbe employed in monitoring and determining 810 assignment of a TTI. ThusUEs 802 at the cell edge, for example, having insufficient transmitpower can be assigned 10 ms TTI by the RNC 806. Moreover, other UEs 802can be assigned 2 ms TTI where the respective communications linkconditions are sufficient to support 2 ms TTI. This can result in afully supported mixed TTI system, as herein disclosed.

In one example in accordance with the disclosed subject matter, system800 can facilitate the RNC 806 monitoring indicia, such as, the Ecp/Ntsetpoint and packet error rate (PER) of each UE 802. In this example, ifRNC 806 detects that a UE 802 is currently using 2 ms TTI and the Ecp/Ntsetpoint has passed a certain threshold and/or the communication linkPER over a certain time interval is beyond acceptable limit, then theRNC 806 can determine that UE 802 can have limited TX power headroom andcan be unable to maintain closing the communications uplink (e.g., thecall is in danger of being dropped). In response, the RNC 806 can send areconfiguration message to UE 802 (by way of NodeB 804) instructing theUE 802 to transition to a 10 ms TTI from the 2 ms TTI to facilitatecontinued communication (e.g., a dynamic adjustment of the TTI). Thisnon-limiting exemplary system 800 would not require any standards changeunder the 3GPP rel. 6 or rel. 7 standards (HSUPA or HSPA+respectively).

The RNC 806 can determine an optimum TTI for each UE 802 of system 800.Optimum TTIs can be based on numerous system factors including, but notlimited to, overall system 800 performance, highest data transfer rates,lowest overall power consumption, alignment of system 800 usage withbusiness goals, etc. Being able to dynamically adjust the TTI canempower system administrators to base the dynamic TTI adjustments on anearly limitless number of predetermined optimum operating conditions,and all such conditions are to be considered within the scope of thedisclosed subject matter. For example, RNC 806 can monitor the Ecp/Ntsetpoint and packet error rate (PER) of each UE 802. Where the RNC 806detects that a UE 802 is currently using 10 ms TTI and its Ecp/Ntsetpoint is below a certain threshold and its PER is within anacceptable limit, the RNC can send a reconfiguration message to the UE802, requesting the UE 802 to transition from the 10 ms TTI to a 2 msTTI to facilitate more efficient use of system 800 resources during thecontinued communication link.

Returning to FIG. 8, system 820 can comprise one or more UEs 822, one ormore NodeBs 824, and one or more RNCs 826. The UEs 822 can becommunicatively coupled to the NodeBs 824 by a wireless connection.Information can be communicated from the UEs 822 to the RNCs 826 by wayof the NodeBs 824. In an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter,this information can include both communication information/data (e.g.,an information payload, VoIP packets, voice information, applicationdata, . . . ). Further, the UEs 822 can collect and send specificindicia 830 through the communication channel to RNC 826 by way of NodeB824. These indicia can comprise communication link information (e.g.,Ecp/Nt, PER, quality of service data, TX power headroom information, . .. ). RNC 826 can receive the indicia and form a determination 840relating to dynamically adjusting TTI. Thus, system 820 can functionsimilar to system 800 except that system 820 can include communicatinglink information available to the UE 822 (e.g., link information notdirectly available to the RNC 826) to improve the determinations formedat 840 over the determination formed at 810. In general, system 820 canprovide more information into a determination process relating todynamically adjusting TTI.

Thus, where an RNC 826 does not have direct access to selectcommunications link information (e.g., a UE's 822 TX power headroom, . .. ), the RNC 826 can be required to determine these indicia based onother indicia (e.g., similar to system 800). However, by communicatingthis information (e.g., sending indicia 830) to the RNC 826 from UE 822,the indicia can be directly relied on rather than inferred ordetermined. The additional indicia can be sent 830, for example, inscheduled transmission operations by way of scheduling information (SI)messages passed to the RNC 826 through NodeB 824. Information passed toRNC 826 can facilitate determinations 840 made by the RNC 826. System820 therefore can improve the reliability of the determinations relatingto dynamic adjustment of TTI (indicia accessible to the UE 822 but notdirectly available to the RNC 826 can be specifically communicated toRNC 826). However, system 820 can require a change in current standardsto incorporate gathering and communicating these additional indiciarather than relying on the RNC 826 to infer these indicia based on othermonitored indicia already available to the RNC 826.

Again returning to FIG. 8, system 850 can comprise one or more UEs 852,one or more NodeBs 854, and one or more RNCs 856. The UEs 852 can becommunicatively coupled to the NodeBs 854 by a wireless connection.Information can be communicated from the UEs 852 to the RNCs 856 by wayof the NodeBs 854. In an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter,this information can include both communication information/data (e.g.,an information payload, VoIP packets, voice information, applicationdata, . . . ). Further, the UEs 822 can monitor and determine when adynamic adjustment of TTI would be beneficial and can send a request 860to the RNC 856 to initiate the dynamic TTI adjustment. RNC 856 canreceive the request and form a determination 870 relating to dynamicallyadjusting TTI. Thus, system 870 can function similar to system 800except that system 850 can shift monitoring indicia and aspects ofdetermining the appropriateness of dynamic TTI adjustment to the UEs852. In general, system 820 can preprocess communications linkinformation at the UE 852 and determine the need to dynamically adjustTTI (e.g., from the perspective of the UE 852), such that a request todynamically adjust the TTI for UE 852 can be provided to the RNC 856where the request can be included in a determination of theappropriateness of dynamically adjusting the TTI for the requesting UE852.

UE 852 can have knowledge of indicia relative to the UE 852 that can beemployed in forming a determination relating to dynamic adjustment ofthe TTI for UE 852. For example, the indicia can be UE 852 TX powerheadroom limitation and UE 852 HARQ early termination statistics. Basedon these locally relevant indicia, UE 852 can send a request to the RNC856 to dynamically adjust the UE 852 TTI. The request can be processedby the RNC 856 in light of other indicia not local to UE 852 (e.g.,system resources, business goals, complex analytics, . . . ) and form adetermination at 870 relating to dynamically adjusting the UE 852 TTI inresponse to the request. For example, if the available TX power headroomfor UE 852 goes below a certain threshold, UE 852 can request, forexample by sending a layer 3 message, that RNC 856 switch UE 852 from a2 ms TTI to a 10 ms TTI. Monitoring 860 indicia at the UE 852 canfurther facilitate monitoring indicia in real time, for example,monitoring the change (i.e., slope) in the remaining UE 852 TX powerheadroom which can facilitate proactively generating a request fordynamic TTI adjustment (e.g., requesting dynamic TTI adjustment beforeUE 852 actually runs out of TX power headroom). The RNC can then combinethis request UE 852 with additional indicia (e.g., Ecp/Nt setpoint, PER,. . . ) and can make the final decision to initiate dynamicallyadjusting UE 852 TTI, if deemed appropriate. System 850 can give thebest performance (as compared to system 800 and 820) however it canrequire standards changes (e.g., the specific UE 852 algorithms wouldneed to be specified and new layer 3 messaging would need to beidentified between UE 852 and RNC 856 by way of NodeB 854).

Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a methodology 900 facilitatingdynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with an aspect of the disclosedsubject matter. At 910, information can be received relating to acommunication link condition. This information can include indiciarelating to the uplink portion of the communication link. Indicia caninclude, for example, the packet error rate, pilot channel signal tonoise ratio, TX power headroom information, or combinations thereofamong other indicia related to the communication link. These indicia cancorrelate to the quality of the communications link. For example, wherethere is a higher than acceptable packet error rate, there can beinsufficient power to transmit data packets from a UE to a NodeB. As asecond example, where the pilot channel signal to noise ratio is above athreshold, there can be an excessive number of UEs transmitting at asufficiently high TX power to cause substantial interference. One ofskill in the art will appreciate that numerous other indicia can berelated to the condition of the communications link and that all suchindicia are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter as theyrelate to determining the appropriateness of dynamic adjustment of TTIwindows.

At 920, the received information can be included in forming adetermination of the appropriateness of dynamically adjusting TTI with acommunications system. By dynamically adjusting TTI, the TTI can bechanged within an established communication link to maintain or improvethe performance of that communications link. For example, where a 2 msTTI is being employed, and received indicia indicate an excessively highPER, a determination can be formed that changing to a 10 ms TTI canimprove the performance of the communications link and therefore isappropriate.

At 930, the TTI can be dynamically adjusted in accordance with thedetermination of appropriateness. Where for example, it is determinedthat switching form a 2 ms TTI to a 10 ms TTI is appropriate to maintainthe established communications link, a RNC can instruct a UE to adjustthe TTI from 2 ms to 10 ms. At this point, methodology 900 can end.

In addition to dynamically adjusting TTI within an establishedcommunications link, methodology 900 can also facilitate dynamicallyadjusting TTI when a communications link is established. For example,when a cell phone call is initiated, an RNC can receive informationrelating to the condition of the potential communications link (910)such that a determination of the most appropriate TTI can be formed(920) and the UE can be instructed to close the link with theappropriate TTI (930). Thus, for example, where a cell phone at the celledge initiates call, a low Ecp/Nt can indicate that a 10 ms TTI can bethe most appropriate TTI to employ and the UE can be instructed toestablish the call with the 10 ms TTI. Similarly, other UEs in the cellcan individually be instructed to employ appropriate TTIs (e.g., a mixedTTI cell can be established).

Moreover, TTI can be dynamically adjusted based on additional criteriain combination with the communication link condition indicia. Forexample, where a UE has a sufficiently good communications linkcondition to maintain a 2 ms TTI but is entering a soft handoff to asecond NodeB, the RNC can, for example, instruct the UE to default to a10 ms TTI to facilitate the soft handoff. Alternatively, where thesecond NodeB communications link conditions indicia indicates that thesoft handoff can be completed with a 2 ms TTI, the UE can be instructedby the RNC to maintain the 2 ms TTI throughout the soft handoff. Asdisclosed herein, dynamic adjustment of the TTI is not limited to 2 msand 10 ms TTI, and one of skill in the art will appreciate that all TTItimes are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter where thoseTTI comport with established standards or specific applications.

Referring now to FIG. 10, illustrated is a methodology 1000 facilitatingdynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with an aspect of the disclosedsubject matter. At 1010, information related to a communication linkcondition can be monitored at an RNC. The indicia available to the RNCfor monitoring can be combined to form determinations about likelycommunications link conditions. For example, where the PER rises above athreshold and elevating the Ecp/Nt does not correct the rising PER, adetermination can be made that it is likely the ULE has limited TX powerheadroom and the communications link is not likely to improve. One ofskill in the art will appreciate that a nearly limitless number of otherdeterminations can be made about communications system characteristicsbased on the indicia monitored by the RNC and that all such indicia anddeterminations related thereto are within the scope of the disclosedsubject matter.

At 1020, the RNC can determine the appropriateness of dynamicallyadjusting the TTI based at least in part on the information monitored.Where, for example, it has been determined that the communications linkis not likely to improve based on the monitored Ecp/Nt and PER, the RNCcan determine that it can be appropriate to dynamically adjust the TTIto improve and maintain the established communication link. At 1030, theRNC can initiate dynamic TTI adjustment in accord with thedetermination. For example, where it has been determined that it islikely that a UE is TX power headroom limited and a 2 ms TTI isemployed, the RNC can instruct the UE to dynamically adjust to a 10 msTTI to facilitate improved communication over the link. At this pointmethodology 1000 can end. Methodology 1000 can comply with currentindustry standards (e.g., 3GPP rel. 6&7).

Referring now to FIG. 11, illustrated is a methodology 1100 facilitatingdynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with an aspect of the disclosedsubject matter. At 1110, communication link condition informationavailable to a UE can be received. This information can be informationnot directly available for monitoring by an RNC. For example, an RNC caninfer the available TX power headroom available for UE based on otherindicia as herein disclosed, however this same information can bedirectly available to the UE itself. Thus, the UE can communicate theseindicia, for example, to a NodeB which can forward the information on tothe RNC.

At 1120, the RNC can determine the appropriateness of dynamicallyadjusting the TTI based at least in part on the UE information received.For example, where the available UE TX power headroom information isreceived by the RNC, indicating that there is insufficient headroomremaining, he RNC can determine that dynamically adjusting the TTI isappropriate. At 1130, the RNC can initiate dynamic adjustment of the TTIwhere appropriate. Thus, for example, where the determination has beenmade that it is appropriate to adjust the TTI, the RNC can instruct theUE to adjust the TTI. At his point methodology 1100 can end.

In general, methodology 1100 allows additional information to becommunicated to the RNC to facilitate improved determinations related todynamically adjusting TTI. As compared to methodology 800, where the RNCcan be required to form determinations on the likelihood of a conditionexisting (e.g., inferences) where the RNC cannot directly monitorindicia of the condition, methodology 1100 permits gathering of theseadditional indicia and communication of them to the RNC for improveddynamic adjustment of TTI. Methodology 1100 may not comply with currentindustry standards (e.g., 3GPP rel. 6&7), though the additional benefitscan be an impetus for modification of the standards to incorporate theadditional messaging capacity to communicate the UE availableinformation to the RNC to facilitate improved determinations relating todynamic TTI adjustment.

Referring now to FIG. 12, illustrated is a methodology 1200 facilitatingdynamic adjustment of TTI in accordance with an aspect of the disclosedsubject matter. At 1210, a UE can receive information related tocommunication link conditions. At 1220 the UE can determine theappropriateness of dynamically adjusting the TTI for that UE based atleast in part on the information received by the UE. At 1230, thelocalized determination of appropriateness can cause a request fordynamic TTI adjustment to be sent to the RNC. Thus, each UE in acommunications system can self monitor, determine when a TTI adjustmentis needed, and initiate a request for dynamic TTI adjustment based onthe local communications link conditions. For example, where a UE isself monitoring an increasing Ecp/Nt setpoint (e.g., 1210), the UE candetermine that it will soon need to adjust the TTI to maintain theestablished link (e.g., 1220), and in response to this determination canrequest that the RNC dynamically adjust the TTI (eg., 1230).

At 1240, the RNC can initiate a dynamic TTI adjustment based at least inpart on the UE request. Thus, while each UE can request TTI adjustment,the RNC can make a final determination, based on other factors inaddition to the request, as to the appropriateness of dynamicallyadjusting the TTI. Where for example, a UE requests a TTI adjustment,the RNC can determine that the TTI adjustment is not appropriate wherethe overall communications system performance could be negativelyaffected by the dynamic TTI adjustment and in response can refuse toinitiate the dynamic TTI adjustment. At this point Methodology 1200 canend.

Methodology 1200, in general, distributes aspects of determining theappropriateness of dynamic TTI adjustment among the different elementsof a communications network. This can allow UEs in a communicationssystem to form local determinations based on communications linkconditions that are locally relevant and available to the UE. Thisfurther takes computational loading off of the RNC and can reducemessaging and information traffic volume, related to passing the indiciaused in forming the determinations, sent across the communicationsnetwork from the UE to the RNC by way of the NodeBs. Where thedeterminations are formed local to the UEs only a request needs to besent to the RNC as part of the RNC's determinations as to theappropriateness of the dynamic TTI adjustment. By centralizing the finaldeterminations related to TTI adjustment, additional factors not localto the UEs can be considered with the final determination. After a finaldetermination has been formed, a simple message back to the UE caninstruct the UE to dynamically adjust the TTI. Methodology 1200 can beincompatible with current industry standards (e.g., 3GPP rel. 6&7),however, methodology 1200 can provide significant benefit in regard todynamic TTI adjustment. One of skill in the art will appreciate that anyfuture standards development can incorporate this distributed dynamicTTI adjustment methodology but that such features would be consideredwithin the scope of the disclosed subject matter.

Further, those skilled in the art will understand that information andsignals may be represented using any of a variety of differenttechnologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands,information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referencedthroughout the above description may be represented by voltages,currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, opticalfields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuitsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventionalprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processormay also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least oneprocessor may comprise one or more modules operable to perform one ormore of the steps and/or actions described above.

Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage mediumknown in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to theprocessor, such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storagemedium may reside in an ASIC.

Further, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium mayreside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal.In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside asdiscrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects,the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm may reside as one orany combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machinereadable medium and/or computer readable medium, which may beincorporated into a computer program product. The various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with theexamples disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a generalpurpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processormay be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may beany conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage medium may be any available mediathat can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connectionmay be termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software istransmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

While the foregoing disclosure discusses illustrative aspects and/orembodiments, it should be noted that various changes and modificationscould be made herein without departing from the scope of the describedaspects and/or embodiments as defined by the appended claims.Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/orembodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may beutilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment,unless stated otherwise. The previous description of the disclosedexamples is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make oruse the present invention. Various modifications to these examples willbe readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other examples withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein butis to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles andnovel features disclosed herein.

1. A method for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: receiving at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; determining, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and instructing at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link to employ the at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one established communications event.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the established communications event is at least one of a voice call or a data call.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing at least one user equipment to dynamically adjust the TTI occurs upon determining a soft-handoff condition.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is different than an immediately prior transmission time interval of the at least one user equipment.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is at least one of 2 ms or 10 ms.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition comprises at least one of a packet error rate, a pilot channel signal to noise ratio, or a transmission power headroom indicator.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, is related to the at least one indicator crossing a threshold value.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein packet error rate is an indicator and the threshold value is between about 0.1% and about 5% for a period between about one transmission time interval and about 1 second.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving a plurality of indicators relating to a plurality of communication link conditions corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of user equipment, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval comprises a plurality of transmission time intervals, and wherein each of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a respective one of the plurality of determined transmission time interval based on the respective communication link condition.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least a first of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a first transmission time interval and at least a second of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a second transmission time interval that is different than the first transmission time interval.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined at least one transmission time interval is related to optimizing data throughput in relation to the communication link condition.
 12. At least one processor configured for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: a first module for receiving at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second module for determining, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a third module for instructing at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 13. The at least one processor of claim 12, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is different than the immediately prior transmission time interval of the at least one user equipment.
 14. The at least one processor of claim 12, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is at least one of 2 ms or 10 ms.
 15. A computer program product configured for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: a computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second set of codes for causing the computer to determine, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a third set of codes for causing the computer to instruct at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is different than the immediately prior transmission time interval of the at least one user equipment.
 17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition is at least one of the packet error rate, the pilot channel signal to noise ratio, or a transmission power headroom indicator.
 18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein packet error rate is an indicator and a threshold value is between 0.1% and 5% for a period between one transmission time interval and 1 second.
 19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein each of a plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ at least one determined transmission time interval.
 20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein at least a first of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a first transmission time interval and at least a second of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a second transmission time interval that is different than the first transmission time interval.
 21. An apparatus configured for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: means for receiving at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; means for determining, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and means for instructing at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is different than the immediately prior transmission time interval of the at least one user equipment.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is at least one of 2 ms or 10 ms.
 24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition is at least one of the packet error rate, the pilot channel signal to noise ratio, or a transmission power headroom indicator.
 25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each of a plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ at least one determined transmission time interval.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein at least a first of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a first transmission time interval and at least a second of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a second transmission time interval that is different than the first transmission time interval.
 27. A method for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; determining at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 28. At least one processor configured for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system, comprising: a first module for monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second module for determining at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a third module for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 29. A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to monitor, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second set of codes for causing the computer to determine at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a third set of codes for causing the computer to communicate, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 30. An apparatus, comprising: means for monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; means for determining at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and means for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 31. A method for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system comprising: receiving, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator that cannot be directly monitored by the radio network controller, related to at least one communication link condition; monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one other indicator related to at least one communication link condition; determining, at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one of the communicated indicators and one of the monitored indicators, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 32. At least one processor configured to dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system comprising: a first module for receiving, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator that cannot be directly monitored by the radio network controller, related to at least one communication link condition; a second module for monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one other indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a third module for determining, at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one of the communicated indicators and one of the monitored indicators, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a fourth module for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 33. A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive, at a radio network controller, at least one indicator that cannot be directly monitored by the radio network controller, related to at least one communication link condition; a second set of codes for causing the computer to monitor, at a radio network controller, at least one other indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a third set of codes for causing the computer to determine, at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one of the communicated indicators and one of the monitored indicators, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to communicate, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 34. An apparatus, comprising: means for communicating to a radio network controller, at least one indicator that cannot be directly monitored by the radio network controller, related to at least one communication link condition; means for monitoring, at a radio network controller, at least one other indicator related to at least one communication link condition; means for determining at the radio network controller, based at least in part on the at least one of the communicated indicators and one of the monitored indicators, at least one transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; and means for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof.
 35. A method for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system comprising: monitoring, at an at least one user equipment, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; determining at the at least one user equipment, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one local transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; transmitting at least one request for an instruction to employ at least one transmission time interval equivalent to the at least one determined local transmission time interval, from the at least one user equipment to the radio network controller; and receiving, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for the at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event comprising a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is based on the at least one indicator.
 36. At least one processor configured for dynamically adjusting a transmission time interval in a communications system comprising: a first module for monitoring, at an at least one user equipment, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second module for determining at the at least one user equipment, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one local transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; a third module for transmitting at least one request for an instruction to employ at least one transmission time interval equivalent to the at least one determined local transmission time interval, from the at least one user equipment to the radio network controller; and a fourth module for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for the at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event comprising a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is based on the at least one indicator.
 37. A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to monitor, at an at least one user equipment, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; a second set of codes for causing the computer to determine at the at least one user equipment, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one local transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; a third set of codes for causing the computer to transmit at least one request for an instruction to employ at least one transmission time interval equivalent to the at least one determined local transmission time interval, from the at least one user equipment to the radio network controller; and a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to communicate, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for the at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event comprising a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is based on the at least one indicator.
 38. An apparatus, comprising: means for monitoring, at an at least one user equipment, at least one indicator related to at least one communication link condition; means for determining at the at least one user equipment, based at least in part on the at least one indicator, at least one local transmission time interval to facilitate communication over the at least one communication link; means for transmitting at least one request for an instruction to employ at least one transmission time interval equivalent to the at least one determined local transmission time interval, from the at least one user equipment to the radio network controller; and means for communicating, from the radio network controller, at least one instruction, for the at least one user equipment employing the at least one communication link, to employ at least one determined transmission time interval during at least one of an established communications event comprising a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, wherein the at least one determined transmission time interval is based on the at least one indicator.
 39. A radio network controller (RNC) comprising: a memory comprising a TTI determination component module having a communications condition analyzer component, a TTI selection logic component, and an input/output component; a processor in communication with the memory and operable to form a TTI window instruction based at least in part on TTI window information; wherein the communications condition analyzer component is operable to analyze the communication condition between the RNC and at least one UE; wherein the TTI selection logic component is operable to determine at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the analysis of the communications condition; wherein the input/output component can at least receive incoming information related to communication conditions and communicate said communication condition information to the communications condition analyzer, and further can at least receive the determined TTI window information from the TTI selection logic component and communicate said TTI window information to the processor; a communications module in communication with the memory and the processor and operable to receive a transmission relating to communications condition indicia; wherein the TTI determination component module is operable to generate at least one instruction relating to dynamically adjusting a TTI window between the RNC and the at least one UE during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, and wherein the communications module is further operable to receive the dynamically adjusted TTI window instruction and communicate said instruction to the least one UE.
 40. A radio network controller (RNC) comprising: a memory comprising a TTI determination component module having a communications condition analyzer component, a TTI selection logic component, and an input/output component; a processor in communication with the memory and operable to form a TTI window instruction based at least in part on TTI window information; wherein the communications condition analyzer component is operable to receive information related to communication condition between the RNC and at least one UE; wherein the TTI selection logic component is operable to determine at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the received communications condition information; wherein the input/output component can at least receive incoming externally analyzed information related to communication conditions and communicate said communication condition information to the communications condition analyzer, and further can at least receive the determined TTI window information from the TTI selection logic component and communicate said TTI window information to the processor; a communications module in communication with the memory and the processor and operable to receive a transmission relating to communications condition indicia; wherein the TTI determination component module is operable to generate at least one instruction relating to dynamically adjusting a TTI window between the RNC and the at least one UE during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, and wherein the communications module is further operable to receive the dynamically adjusted TTI window instruction and communicate said instruction to the least one UE.
 41. The RNC of claim 40, wherein the TTI window instruction instructs a UE in communication with the RNC over a communication link, to dynamically adjust the TTI used in the established communication link.
 42. The RNC of claim 41, wherein the dynamically adjusted TTI is different than an immediately prior TTI used in the established communication link.
 43. The RNC of claim 41, wherein the dynamically adjusted TTI is at least one of 2 ms or 10 ms.
 44. The RNC of claim 40, wherein the information related to communication condition between the RNC and at least one UE comprises at least one of a packet error rate, a pilot channel signal to noise ratio, or a transmission power headroom indicator.
 45. The RNC of claim 40, wherein the determination of at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the received communications condition information, is related to information about a metric of the communications condition crossing a threshold value.
 46. The RNC of claim 45, wherein packet error rate is the metric and the threshold value is between about 0.1% and about 5% for a period between about one transmission time interval and about 1 second.
 47. The RNC of claim 45, wherein the received communications condition information further comprises information received relating to a plurality of metrics further relating to a plurality of communication link conditions corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of user equipment, wherein the resulting determination of at least one appropriate TTI comprises a plurality of TTIs, and wherein each of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a respective one of the plurality of determined TTIs based on the respective communication link condition.
 48. The RNC of claim 47, wherein at least a first of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a first transmission time interval and at least a second of the plurality of user equipment is instructed to employ a second transmission time interval that is different than the first transmission time interval.
 49. The RNC of claim 40, wherein the determination of at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the received communications condition information, is related to optimizing data throughput in relation to the communication link condition.
 50. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory comprising a UE based TTI request component module having a communications condition analyzer component, a local TTI selection logic component, and a local TTI request generator component; a processor in communication with the memory and operable to form a TTI window request instruction based at least in part on TTI window information; wherein the communications condition analyzer component is operable to analyze the communication condition between an RNC and the UE based at least in part on communications condition information available to the UE; wherein the local TTI selection logic component is operable to determine at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the analysis of the communications condition; wherein the input/output component can at least receive incoming information related to communication conditions and communicate said communication condition information to the communications condition analyzer, and further can at least receive the determined TTI window information from the TTI selection logic component and communicate said TTI window information to the processor; a communications module in communication with the memory and the processor and operable to receive a transmission relating to communications condition indicia available to the UE; wherein the TTI determination component module is operable to generate at least one request instruction relating to dynamically adjusting a TTI window between the RNC and the UE during at least one of an established communications event, a voice call, a data call, a soft-handoff condition, or any combination thereof, and wherein the communications module is further operable to receive the dynamically adjusted TTI window request instruction and communicate said request instruction to the least the RNC.
 51. The UE of claim 50, wherein a TTI window request instruction instructs an RNC in communication with the UE over a communication link to initiate a dynamic adjustment of the TTI used in the established communication link in response to the TTI window request instruction.
 52. The UE of claim 51, wherein the TTI window request instruction requests a dynamically adjusted TTI that is different than an immediately prior TTI used in the established communication link.
 53. The UE of claim 51, wherein the requested dynamically adjusted TTI is at least one of 2 ms or 10 ms.
 54. The UE of claim 50, wherein the information related to communication condition and available to the UE comprises at least one of a packet error rate, a pilot channel signal to noise ratio, or a transmission power headroom indicator.
 55. The UE of claim 50, wherein the determination of at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the analysis of the communications condition, is related to information about a metric of the communications condition crossing a threshold value.
 56. The UE of claim 55, wherein packet error rate is the metric and the threshold value is between about 0.1% and about 5% for a period between about one transmission time interval and about 1 second.
 57. The UE of claim 55, wherein analysis of the communications condition further comprises analyzing information relating to a plurality of metrics further relating to a plurality of communication link conditions corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of user equipment, wherein the resulting determination of at least one appropriate TTI comprises a plurality of TTIs, and wherein each of the plurality of user equipment is requests of the RNC a respective one of the plurality of determined TTIs based on the respective communication link condition.
 58. The UE of claim 57, wherein at least a first of the plurality of user equipment is requests to employ a first transmission time interval and at least a second of the plurality of user equipment requests to employ a second transmission time interval that is different than the first transmission time interval.
 59. The UE of claim 50, wherein the determination of at least one appropriate TTI window based at least in part on the analysis of the communications condition, is related to optimizing data throughput in relation to the communication link condition. 